Book Review: A Whole New Mind
In his latest book, A Whole New Mind: Moving from the Information Age to the Conceptual Age
These forces are:
1. Asia: the enormous shift of manufacturing from the western countries to Asia with its much lower wage rates has caused the prices for manufactured items to plummet.
2. Abundance: Our left-brains have largely perfected the art of making reliable goods cheaply. For industrialized nations, so much "stuff" is available at low cost.
3. Automation: Match computers with mechanics and your have a system that reliably, cheaply produces vast numbers of even small-run goods.
These three forces have effected an enormous change, Pink argues: we are passing from the Information Age to the Conceptual Age.
Pink's argument is that left-brained thinking has been so successful at meeting basic (and not-so-basic) needs, that a demand now exists for things that go beyond meeting basic needs and that express our values and our need for meaning.
The book is very well-written and Pink raises important issues. It would be easy to criticize the book for its focus on the western nations who benefit most from the Conceptual Age, but to do so is to shoot the messenger. Or (because I'm so hip) I might say: Don't hate the playa; hate the game.
Readability: 5 Content: 4
In the talk he described the emotional value of products. As an example, he pointed out that it is this reason that someone can charge $14 for a fly swatter - not because it worked better, but because it had a higher emotional value. This makes me think of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance in which the author said that the success of any machine is measured in its ability to create "peace of mind." Here, just as in Pink's talk, we see that the first and foremost factor is the emotional value of the a product, not necessarily just its ability to get the work done.
A bit of a ramble, sorry, but all to say it was a good talk. I will check out the book.